System for providing hot wash water



Jan- 5, 1943- l J. VAN vuLPEN"|- rA| 2,307,341 SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING HOT WASH WATER Filed Aug; 8, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 5, 1943. .1 VAN vuLPEN x-:rAL 2,307,341

SISTEM FOR PROVIDING HOT WASH WATER i Imfem Patented Jan. 5, .1943

UNTTED STATES PATENT ortica SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING HOT WASH WATER John Van Vulpen and Emil E. Stenzel, Chicago, lll., assignors to Vapor Car Heating Company, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New York Application August 8, 1941, Serial No. 405,912

Claims.

at the faucets Without undue delay or waste of insu'iciently heated water.

It is obviously undesirable and uneconomical,

to carry an unduly large supply of water on the car for washing purposes. It is well known practice Pto provide a system including a heat-exchanger by means of which a rather small quantityof water is heated by steam to arather high l temperature and then mixed with unheated water so as to provide an adequate supply ofV hot water at a desired temperature at the discharge faucets. According to this present invention, thermostatic means are provided for more promptly controlling the flow of steam to the heater immediately after the now of water through the heater is started by the opening of a discharge faucet or faucets.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved system for supplying hot washwater, as briefly described Vhereinabove and disclosed more in detail in the specications which follow.

Another object is to provide a water-jacketed thermostatic member positioned in the path of the unheated water flowing to the water-heater, said water-cooled thermostatic member controlling the ow of steam to the heater.

Another object is to provide thermostatically y' controlled means forincreasing the owvof steam to the heater as the Vflow of unheated water to the heater is increased, and consequently in accordance with an increase in the rate of withdrawal of hot water from the heater.

Another object is to provide a water-jacketed n. thermostatic member for adjusting a steam-flow control valve.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description of certain approved forms of apparatus constructed and operating according to the principles of this invention.

. In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the principal features of one approved form of apparatus for providing hot wash water.

Fig.y 2 is a partial vertical central section through an improved steam-flow regulator provided with a water-jacketed thermostatic control member.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section through the mixing valve.

Fig. 4 is an elevation, similar to Fig. 1, of a somewhat modified form of hot water supply system connected to and deriving its heat from an improved steam-heating system on a railway car.

Referring iirst to Fig. 1, the hot water supply system comprises in general a small heater A for transferring heat from steam to cold water, that is water at normal atmospheric temperature, a mixing valve B for mixing the hot water from heater A with cold water such as is supplied to the heater to obtain water at the temperature desired for use and a steam iiow controller C for regulating the supply of steam to the heater A.

The heater A is preferably of the general type disclosed in the patent to Keeran, 2,181,602, granted November 28, 1939, although any similar type of heater could be used. Briefly, this heater comprises a plurality of inner passages separated from one another so that-water flowing through one series of passages is brought into close heattransfer relation to steam flowing through the other'set of passages. Steam flowing from the supply through pipe I passes through one set of interior passages', aslndicated diagrammatically by the arrows 2,r excess steam and condensate together with non-condensable gases, flowing out through pipes 3 and 4, the steam and non-condensable gases being eventually discharged through insulateddrip pipe 5. Cold Water flows into the heater through supply pipe 6, thence flows through passages in the heater, as indicated by the arrows -'l, the water heated to a relatively high temperature flowing through pipe 8 to the mixing valve B.

Any suitable type of mixing valve B can be used, the one'here shown (see Fig. 3) being of the preferred typel disclosed in the reissue patent to Russell et al. #19,448, granted March 5, 1935.

Referring to Fig. 3, the main casing 9 encloses a mixing chamber IU which communicates through suitable openings with the lower, preferably cylindrical, upright valve passage II in which is tted the vertically slidable sleeve valve l2.' The hot water supply pipe 8, previously described, connects through port I3 with the lower @"xi with an upper portion of valve passage Il. `When the slide valve I2 isin the position shown inVFigQ "3, the port I5 will be closed, but hot "water from pipe 8 can flow in through port I3,

spectively. This water will mix in chamber Ii!- so as to expand or contract the thermostatic bellows member I8 to the lower movable end of which the slide valve I2 is connected by the stem I3. A guide stern projecting downwardly from valve I2 is slidable in a guide passage 2l in the plug 22 which closes the lower end of casing 9. The adjusting stem 23 has a threaded portion 24 engaging in the cap 25 which closes the upper end of the casing 9.

end of thermo-static bellows I8. An expansion spring 21 is conned between the lower plug 22 and the bottom of slide valve I2. As the water in mixing chamber I0 gets hotter, the bellows I8 will expand so as to force the slide valve I2 downwardly and cut oft" the how of hot water through port I3 and permit more cold water to enter through port I5. On the other hand, as the temperature of the water in mixingchamber Ifl decreases, the thermostatic member I8 will contract and the valve assembly will be, forced upwardlyr by the spring 21 so as to increase the proportion of hot water admitted to the mixing chamber and decrease the iioW of cold Water..

By adjusting the stem 23, the positions of the thermostatic member and valve can be adjusted so that the temperature of the hot water owing out from mixing chamber Ill through pipe 28 to the discharge faucets can be varied as desired. Stem 23 may also be screwed down to positively force the valve down to cut oi the hot water at port I3, in case of fracture of the bellows I8. It will be seen that the water discharged through pipe 8 from the heater A may.

be much hotter than is desired for use, but the volume of reasonably hot water available'for use at the faucets can be greatly increased by mixing this hot water from heater A with cold water supplied through pipe I4 to the mixing valve B.

The steam-flow controller C may take a variety of forms, but is preferably of the type indicated in longitudinal vertical section in Fig. 2.

Briey described, this regulator comprises a casing 29 support-ed by a suitable bracket 3l) and formed with an inlet chamber 3| into which steam ows through port 32 from the supply pipe 33 (Fig. l) Steam flows from inlet chamoer 3l through strainer 33 and passage 34 into the outlet chamber 35 and thence through outlet port 35 and supply pipe I. The movable valve member 31 is guided in cage 38 so as to engage and cooperate with the` valve seat 39 at the outlet end of passage 34 to cut oi the ow of steam from inlet chamber 3l into outlet chamber 35. The spring l0 surrounding valve stem 4I tends to move the valve 31 toward the open position shown in Fig. 2.

A thermostatic member indicated generally at 42 is housed in a chamber 43 formed in a separate casing 44. When there is an excess of steam in the heater A, such excess steam will flow back through pipes 3, 4 and 45 into the chamber 43.

Thermostatic member 42 comprises an outer bel- The lower end 25 of stem 23 engages in a socket in theupper lows diaphragm and contains a quantity of heat responsive uid so that when the thermostatic member is directly exposed to steam it will expand, thereby forcing outwardly (to the right Fig. 2) the stem 46 which projects through a sealing member 41 and engages at its outer end with the lower arm 48 of a lever :pivoted adjustably intermediate its length at 49. The upper arm 50 of this lever is adapted to engage and push inwardly (toward the left-Fig. 2) the stem 5I which projects into sealing member 52 and is adapted to engage valve stem 4I and force the valve 31 toward its seat against the opposition of spring 45. Of course, as the steam in chamber 43 condenses or this chamber is filled with a cooler iiuid, the thermostatic member 42 will contract and permit the spring 4D to open the valve 31 so that additional steam can flow to the heater A.

The steam-flow controller just described is of substantially the form disclosed and claimed in the patent to Parks et al. #2,238,369, April 15, 1941, except for the addition as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of a Water-jacket 53 builtinto casing 44 and partially surrounding' the thermostatic chamber 43. Referring again to Fig. 1, cold water flows from the source of supply through T- fitting and thence through one branch pipe 56 and pipe I4 to the mixing valve B. Cold water also ows from the other` branch of lfiting 55 through pipe 51, check valveand pipe 59 into and through the Water jacket 53 `and thence through pipe 6 into the water-heater A.

Hot-water supply systems of this generaltype have been known in which the Water-jacketing feature of the steam flow controller was not used, and the cold water supplied to `heater A owed directly from supply pipe 54 and pipe E to the water heater. In such a system, if thel hotwater faucets are opened soon after a period of use and before the thermostatic member 42 has had time to cool o and contract so as to permit steam valve 31 to open, waterrwill be withdrawn from tank A before there is an adequate steam supply to the tank and this water will be insu'iciently heated. Consequently, there will be a waste of water at the discharge faucets before there is an adequate flow of steam to the heat-transfer device A to heat the incoming cold water and deliver the propersupply of hotwater through pipe 8 to the mixingvalve B.

In the improved system herein described-the moment the faucets are opened there will be a withdrawal of water from heating tank A thereby causing the water passages in this tank to berelled by cold water from pipe 6 and'water jacket 53, so that cold water will ow throughthis water jacket, before reaching the tank A, thus quickly cooling and contracting the thermostatic member 42 and permitting the steam valve 31 to completely and promptly open. Thus there will be an immediate flow of steam into and through the heat-transfer tank A resulting in a prompt supply of hot Water through pipe 8 to the mixing vvalve B and thence to the faucets. In short, the flow of steam into and through the tank A will be increased promptly as hot Water is Withdrawn from this tank and the ow of cold Water to the tank increases. This is accomplished by the ow of cold Water to the heating .tank expediting the operation of the steam-flow control valve.iv

The somewhat modied form of hot Wash-water supply system disclosed in Fig. 4 is shown as coupled up with `and receiving its steam from a car-heating system of the type disclosed and As in Fig. 1, cold Water flows through pipe 54 claimed in the copending application of Parks and Stenzel, Serial No. 335,720, led May 17, 1940, for Controlled volume steam heating system. A portion of this steam-heating system Will first be described, as disclosed in the left hand portion of Fig. 4,. The steam-110W control Valve C is of substantially the same type as the controller C shown in Fig. 2, except that the Water jacket 53 and the connections thereto are omitted. In other Words, this controller C may be of the type disclosed in the patent to Parks et al. #2,238,369, already referred to. Steam from the usual highpressure source on the car oWs through pipe Eil into the supply chamber 3l (Fig. 2 of this valve). From the opposite sides of the loW pressure or outlet chamber 35 extend the tWo pipes 6l and 62.

Pipe 6| leads to a pressure-limit valve D which Will open at some predetermined low pressure, for example 5 pounds super-atmospheric pressure. Valve D will remain closed at any pressure in the outlet chamber 35 and pipes 6| and 62 below 5 pounds per square inch but will open when this pressure is exceeded and steam will 110W from valve D through pipes 63 and 64 into the thermostatic chamber 43 of the steam regulator. This will cause the thermostatic member 42 to expand and close the valve 39 thus cutting off the supply of steam from pipe 60. At the far end of supply pipe 62 is positioned a steam-trap 65 which closes in the presence of steam, but opens in the pressence of condensate and non-condensable gases so as to permit these to escape through the return piping 66 Which leads to the drip-pipe 5 already described. Any condensed steam in thermostatic chamber 43 can also oW out through this drip-pipe 5. There may be a restricted oW of steam through trap 65 into the return piping 66 but this Will be only sufficient to prevent freezing in this return piping and will not furnish sufcient steam to reach and actu-ate the thermostatic member in flow controller C. The trap 65 will restrict the flow of steam from supply pipe 62 so that the pressure in this pipe will build up to 4a predetermined low but super-atmospheric pressurefor example 5 pounds, as already described-whereupon the Valve D Will open and permit the steam at this same pressure to flow through pipes 6|, 63 and 64 into the chamber 43 and actuate the thermostatic member to close the supply valve. Consequently a substantially constant steam pressure of 5 pounds per square inch Will be maintained in the supply pipe 62. If the inlet valve 61 of radiator Ris open, steam can iioW from supply pipe 62 through the Waterseal 68, pipe 69, valve 61 into and through the radiator R and through pipe l' to the steam trap 1|, condensate and non-condensable gases flowing out through discharge pipe 'I2 into the return piping 66. It Will be understood that a plurality Aof radiators, such as R, can be fed from the same supply pipe 62.

As shown in the .right hand portion of Fig. 4, steam from this same supply pipe 62 can also oW through piping 'I3 and I into and through the Water-heater A and thence out through pipes 3 and 4, as in Fig. 1. leads into a steam trap 'M which embodies a thermostatic member which Will close a Valve in the presence of steam to preventi the passage of steam beyond this trap but will open to permit condensate and non-condensable gases to flow out through pipe 15 into the return and discharge piping 66. The trap 74 is enclosed by a Waterjacket 16.

In Fig. ll, discharge pipe 4' from the source of supply and thence through T-tting and pipes 56 and I4 to the mixing valve B. Cold Water also flows from the other branch of T-tting v55 through pipe 5l., check valve 58 and pipe 59 into and through the Waterjacket 'I6 and thence through pipe 6 into the Water-heater A, all as in Fig. 1. Hot Water also flows through pipe from the Water heater to the mixing valve B. The operation of this modified system is much the same as in the system disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2|. When no Water is being discharged through the faucets, steam will flow through the steam piping and the heater A as far as the trap 14. This trap, when heated, will close and will only open often enough and to, an extent suicient to permit the condensate and` gases to drain out. Also, since there is no Water being withdrawn from tank A, there will be no ow of Water through pipe 6 and the Water jacket 'I6 into the heater. The Water in jacket 'i6 Will become somewhat heated so as not to cause the trap 'M to open. However, as soon as the hot Water faucets are open, the consequent Withdrawal of heated Water from tank A will cause cold or unheated Water to flow from the source through Water jacket 16 and thence into the heating tank A. Since this Will cause the Water jacket 'I6 to be iilled With cold Water, the trap 14 Will be quickly opened so as to immediately renew the steam flow from the source through the passages of the Water-heater A, and provide an immediate supply of Water heated to the maximum temperature before the excess of steam flow causes the trap 14 to close.

It will be noted that in either form of the invention, the flow of heating medium or steam to the heat-exchanger is increased immediately in response to an increase in the ow of cold Water to the heater so that there will be no undue delay in providing hot Water for delivery to the faucets.

It Will also be noted that there is no loss of heat at the Water-jackets since the heat used at these points preheats the cold Water supplied to the Water-heater A, thus making the heaters more eicient.

We claim:

1. In a system for providing hot Wash-Water. a heat-exchanger comprising separated adjacent passagesv for steam and Water, a conduit for supplying steam to the steam passage of the heat exchanger, a discharge conduit for discharging fluids from the steam passage of the heat-exchanger, a steam flow control means in said latter conduit, la Water jacket for said iiow control means, means for discharging heated water from the heat-exchanger, and conduit means for feeding water to said heat-exchanger, said last-mentioned conduit means including the water-jacket.

2. In a system for providing hot wash-Water, a heat-exchanger comprising separated adjacent passages for steam and water, a conduit for supplying steam to the steam passage of the heat exchanger, a discharge conduit for discharging uids from the steam passage of the heat-exchanger, a thermostatic steam-trap in said discharge conduit, a Water-jacket for said trap, means for discharging heated Water from the heat-exchanger, and conduit means for feeding water to said heat-exchanger, said last mentioned conduit means including the Water-jacket.

3. In a system for providing hot Wash Water, a heat-exchanger comprising separated adjacent passages for steam and Water, a conduit for supplying steam to the steam passage of the heat-i exchanger, a discharge conduit for discharging fluids from the steam passage of the heat-exchanger, a steam-flow control means in one of said conduits, a thermostatic means for actuatinfT said flow control means, a Water-jacket for said thermostatic-means, a mixing valve, means for discharging heated Water from the mixing alve, means for feeding hot Water from the heatexchanger to the mixing valve, conduit means for feeding cold Water comprising a branch leading to the mixing Valve, and a second branch leading to the heat-exchanger, said second branch including the Water-jacket.

4. In a system for providing hot wash-Water, a heat-exchanger comprising separated adjacent passages for steam and Water, a conduit for supplying steam to the steam passage of the heatexchanger, a discharge conduit for discharging iiuids from the steam passage of the heat-exchanger, a thermostatic steam-trap in said discharge conduit, a Water-jacket for said trap, a mixing valve, means for discharging heated Water from the mixing valve, means for feeding hot water from the heat-exchanger to the mixing valve, conduit means for feeding cold Water comprising a branch leading to the mixing valve, and a second branch leading to the heat-exchanger, said second branch including the Water-jacket.

5. In a system for providing hot wash-water, a heat-exchanger comprising separated adjacent passages for steam and water, a conduit for supplying steam to the steam passage of the heatexchanger, a flow-control valve in said supply conduit, a thermostatic member for controlling said valve, a Water-jacket for said thermostatic member, a mixing valve, means for discharging heated water from the mixing valve, means for feeding hot Water from the heat-exchanger to the mixing valve, conduit means for feeding cold water comprising a branch leading to the mixing valve, and a second branch leading to the heatexchanger, said second branch including the 20 Water-jacket.

JOHN VAN VULP'EN. EMIL E. STENZEL. 

